The NCAA always makes a point of referring to college football players as student-athletes, with the "student" coming first.

It's a distinction that sometimes doesn't sink in with the student-athletes themselves until it's nearly too late. How many times have we heard of a star high school player who doesn't take his grades seriously until he realizes he's a prospect? And how often have we seen a mad scramble to help said player catch up with courses that he should have spent the past three years mastering?

Always, the focus is clear: Get the kid qualified.

Maybe, however, the focus should be different: Is the kid ready to be a student at a four-year university?

It's no secret that college recruiters often put pressure on high school counselors to find ways to help prospects earn their eligibility. Sources in Mobile have told me of two cases in which recruiters from out-of-state major-college programs were banned from two high school campuses in the city because of aggressive tactics with guidance counselors.

An assistant coach at Washington High in Pensacola last week accused Alabama assistant Jeremy Pruitt of encouraging the transfer of Tide commitment Darius Paige to Foley, where he might have a better shot at qualifying under Baldwin County's block-scheduling system.

Foley coach Todd Watson said it was Paige's parents who approached him inquiring about a transfer.

Alabama High School Athletic Association Executive Director Steve Savarese said this week that transfers appear to be on the rise, and academics is one of the primary factors.

In the case of student-athletes, that often means finding a place that has the resources to help them catch up. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as they learn how to study and not just that if they put things off, someone will help them.

In other cases, corners are cut. The NCAA is investigating allegations that the high school transcript of Auburn signee Jovon Robinson was falsified by a counselor at Memphis' Wooddale High.

We don't know whether Robinson or anyone at Auburn knew about it. We do know this: It was no favor to Robinson. If he didn't learn how to keep his grades up at Wooddale, he won't know how to keep them up at Auburn.

Sometimes, two years of junior college might not be such a bad thing.

Take the case of Nick Brassell. After a long catch-up process that lasted well into the summer, Brassell qualified to play as a freshman at Ole Miss in 2011. He reportedly didn't think much of going to class, however, and was declared academically ineligible this spring.

Maybe cramming to get qualified wasn't what was best for Brassell in the long run.

Maybe what he really needed was a couple of years in a JUCO to learn what college is all about.

We'll find out. Brassell is now enrolled at East Mississippi Community College. It's probably where he should have gone in the first place.